“No.” I shook my head—how could I leave when I hadn’t finished what I’d come here to do? “I’m going to my room,” I said, pressing my fingers to my temples as if I had a headache. “This was all a lot to take in… I have a lot to think about.”
“We barely touched the pizza.” He motioned to the pie, which must have been cold by now. “What about our contest?”
“Another time,” I said quickly.
“Did I do something wrong?” His brow crumpled, as if my words had been daggers in his heart. “You can tell me if I did. I can take it.”
I wished more than anything that I could throw myself in his arms and kiss him, and that all the drama between us would vanish and we could be the same people we’d been when we’d first kissed back in that alley.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I said, my voice catching in my throat. He was being so open with me that it killed me to leave him like this. “I’m just not feeling well—I think I need to get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I hurried out of his quarters before he could say any more, not looking back until the doors closed behind me.
Jacen
It took everything in me not to chase after Princess Ana.
I’d thrown too much at her too quickly. But I had to believe she would come around eventually. Trying to force her to open up before she was ready would only set back any progress I’d made on gaining her trust.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t stay in my quarters for a second longer without thinking of her. I wanted to go on a run through the forest—the outside air might clear my head—but the sun was rising, so that wouldn’t be possible.
Instead, I went to the library.
I was determined to learn more about the Seventh Kingdom. I already had a huge hint—it was in Antarctica. There had to be something in one of these books that would point me to a more exact location within the giant ice continent.
But I could barely focus on the words as I scanned through the books.
All I could think about was Princess Ana.
Why had she left so suddenly? I’d thought our conversation had been going well. I’d thought she would have been thrilled to learn that I also had the interests of the humans at heart. Of course, I couldn’t reveal my true goal of killing Queen Laila—at least not yet. Saying such a thing would be treason. But I’d hoped telling Ana I wanted to work with the wolves and speak with the leader would have made her happy.
Instead, she’d left.
I’d wanted so badly to convince her to stay—to push more to get her to open up to me—but I’d resisted. Because if she wasn’t ready, pushing her certainly wouldn’t help.
Perhaps I’d been too quick to reveal that I suspected she was working with the wolves. She might have thought I was trying to get her to confess so I could turn her in.
In that case, I understood why my questions had put her on edge. Who wanted to be accused of being a traitor to a kingdom while on a date with its prince?
Then again, I’d offered to make a blood oath that I wouldn’t tell her secret. The blood oath would have held me to the promise—if I’d broken it, my blood would have turned against me and killed me.
Something wasn’t adding up. I was just confused, staring blankly at the pages of the book I was reading in the hope that I would find something about the mysterious Seventh Kingdom.
Not to my surprise, I found nothing. Eventually, I gave up and headed back to my quarters. Falling asleep would be difficult, but it wasn’t something that a nightcap—or three—couldn’t fix.
I returned to find a woman standing in the center of my living room, waiting for me.
I stopped in my tracks when I saw her. Her blood had the distinct, flowery smell of witch. She wore all white—a long tunic with baggy pants—and from her tan skin and long, dark hair, I guessed she was of Indian descent. She was beautiful, her skin so smooth that she appeared to be ageless.
“Who are you?” I looked around to see if anyone else was there, relieved she was the only one. “How did you get in here?”
“My name is Shivani.” She stood so still as she spoke—like she was some kind of goddess. “I’m a witch envoy from the Haven. All witches of the Haven are permitted to transport inside the boundaries of the kingdoms as we please.”
“I thought your kingdom wanted no part in my selection,” I said.
“That’s true.” She nodded. “I’m not here in regards to your search for a bride.”
“Then what are you here for?” I crossed my arms, determined to get answers. I didn’t like someone magically appearing in my quarters—whether they were technically allowed to do so or not.
“I’m here regarding the feud the vampires of the Vale are having with the wolves.”
“You’re in the wrong place,” I said. “You should go to Queen Laila. She’s the one leading our side of the war.”
“I’m not in the wrong place.” She smiled slightly. “I’m here specifically for you—Prince Jacen of the Vale. I was given an anonymous tip that you’re the one I need to speak with. No one else can know I’m here.”
Princess Ana. She must have been the one to send word to the Haven to speak to me.
It was all making sense now. She’d heard what I’d said during dinner, but didn’t feel comfortable telling me she was working with the wolves. Understandable. But she must have believed what I’d told her—about how I was interested in solving this peacefully. So she’d returned to her room to communicate with the Haven and request that they send a witch envoy to speak with me.
The Haven was known for being the “Switzerland” of the supernatural world—they remained neutral on all political matters. If peace were the goal, the Haven was always happy to assist. Anything else, they stayed out of.
“I’m listening,” I told her, and I led the way to the sitting room, glad when she followed. “Would you like a drink? I mainly have wine, but I can dig up some beer or liquor if that’s your preferred poison.”
“No, thank you,” she said. “Citizens of the Haven abstain from consuming alcohol. Water will be fine.”
“All right.” I poured a bottle of water into a glass for her, a Cabernet for myself, and brought them both over.
She waited until I was seated to do the same. I’d never met anyone from the Haven before, but apparently they were aware of the Vale’s rule of not sitting first while in the presence of someone who out-ranked you. It made sense for citizens of the Haven to know and follow the rules of each kingdom. Anything else would be far from diplomatic, and the Haven was all about diplomacy.
“Welcome to the Vale.” I raised my glass in a toast and took a sip of the wine. “What can I do for you?”
“The Haven has heard about the recent attack the wolves launched upon your kingdom.” She lowered her eyes in respect. “Our thoughts are with those who lost their lives that day.”
“Thank you.” I nodded, waiting for her to continue.
“The wolves didn’t believe peace was possible, but your name has been mentioned as someone who would be interested in working out a compromise,” she said. “Is this true?”
“It is.” I sat up straighter, grateful to Ana for taking action on my behalf so quickly. “I want to stop to all the needless death in the Vale. If that means speaking with the wolves, then that’s what I’ll do.”
I did want to stop needless death, but of course, not in the way Shivani most likely thought. I wanted to speak with the wolves so I could arrange a secret alliance with them and end Queen Laila once and for all.
But Shivani didn’t need to know that.
“I’m glad to hear it,” she said. “The one who calls himself the First Prophet is waiting in the Haven as we speak.” She held her hand out across the table. “Come. I’ll bring you to him.”
“The First Prophet?” I didn’t take her hand, unwilling to be transported anywhere until I had more information. I didn’t think this was a trap, but it never hurt to be careful. “What does that me
an?”
“That’s for him to share,” she said. “If you’re willing to listen to him.”
“I’m willing to listen,” I said. “But we know a witch is helping the wolves in their rebellion. Who’s to say you’re not that witch? This could be a trick to lead me into a trap.”
She sipped her water, studying me. “I am who I say I am,” she said. “However, I cannot fault your doubt, as war disintegrates trust. If it’s proof you need, we can make a blood oath. I will swear to you that I am Shivani of the Haven, here to transport you to the Haven so you can discuss peace with the First Prophet of the wolves of the Vale.”
“You’ll also swear you were sent here on behalf of the Haven, that I’ll be protected from physical and mental harm while I’m in the Haven, and that I’ll be free to leave the Haven and return to the palace of the Vale whenever I please,” I added, making sure to be specific in my request. A blood oath bound people to the precise words spoken. It was best not to leave any room for misinterpretation.
She nodded, appearing to be digesting my words. “You’ll be protected in the Haven as long as you attack no one—including the First Prophet,” she told me. “We don’t tolerate violence on our lands.”
“And if the First Prophet attacks me?” I asked.
I had no doubt I could beat this “First Prophet” in a fight, but I wanted to hear her response directly.
“If anyone attacks anyone on our land, the tiger shifters will take care of it.” She spoke calmly, the threat lingering in the air.
Attacking anyone in the Haven would result in getting pummeled by tigers. Got it.
“Very well,” I told her. “Let’s make the blood oath, and then I’ll go with you to the Haven.”
Jacen
We arrived in what I could only describe as a traditional Indian tearoom. It was full of bright colors—reds, oranges, and greens—and it had no windows, so I couldn’t tell what time it was. But the decor wasn’t what stood out to me first.
The first thing I noticed was the distinct, musky scent of wolf radiating from the man sitting before me. He stood up the moment we appeared in the room. He was around my height, and he was dressed in the rugged animal hides worn by the wolves of the Vale. His gaze was sharp—strong—although he appeared surprisingly at ease at the same time.
He must be the “First Prophet.”
Disgust railed through my veins at the sight and stench of him. I couldn’t help but think about the wolves that had tried to kill Annika and me when we’d escaped the boundary, and the wolves that had used their teeth to rip off the heads of all those vampires in town. Vampires might be monsters—I wasn’t proud of what I was—but at least we’d once been human.
Wolves had always been monsters.
But they’d made that treaty with Queen Laila all of those centuries ago. I had to at least hope there was some humanity in them.
How could I work with them otherwise?
“I have brought you Prince Jacen of the Vale,” Shivani told the wolf—the man—before me.
If I wanted this to go well, I needed to operate under the assumption that despite what I’d seen so far of the wolves, not all of them were the same. It was hard when every vampire instinct within me screamed enemy in his presence—even his mere scent revolted me—but I needed to tolerate it. No, I needed to do more than tolerate it. I needed to fight my natural inclination of disgust and treat this man respectfully unless he gave me reason to do otherwise.
Shivani turned back to me, motioning to the man before us. “I present to you Noah, First Prophet of the wolves of the Vale,” she told me. “Now that the two of you are introduced, I’ll step out of the room to give you your privacy. But just because I’m gone, it doesn’t mean the two of you aren’t monitored. There’s a small boundary around this room, and the tiger shifters are outside of it. If the meeting goes astray, they will take care of it and I will transport you both back to where you came. Understood?”
“Understood,” I repeated, at the same time as Noah said, “Yes.”
“Very well.” She nodded. “I wish you both peace.” She gave a small bow and left the room.
I stared at the wolf—Noah—not knowing where to start.
“They gave us food.” Noah walked over to the table in the center, where sure enough, two place settings waited for us alongside a covered platter. I had no idea how I hadn’t smelled it earlier—it must have been overpowered by the stench of wolf. “Are you hungry?”
“I just ate,” I told him, following him to the table. “But by all means, go ahead.”
The truth was, I could always eat. But we were here to talk—not to eat. All eating would do was elongate this process. The longer I was here, the more likely it would be that someone would realize I was gone.
Noah removed the cover from the platter and looked skeptically at whatever was inside. “Any idea what this is?” he asked me.
I leaned over and peered in. “It looks like Indian food,” I told him, since Indian food was something the palace chef occasionally cooked. It smelled delicious, and I wanted to dig in, but we had business to attend to. “I would guess a vegetable curry of some sort.”
“That explains why it smells like… that.” Noah placed the lid back on the platter. “Wolves only eat meat.”
I nodded, having expected nothing less.
There were also pitchers and glasses next to the platter. I picked one up and poured it, disappointed at what came out.
“Animal blood.” I sighed and looked at the blood in disgust. It smelled bitter and stale—just the thought of drinking it made me want to gag. “I’m not sure how the vampires of the Haven tolerate it.”
“I suppose they get used to it,” Noah said. “What’s in the other pitcher?”
I poured it into another glass. “Water,” I said, although that much was clear. “Shivani told me that the citizens of the Haven didn’t drink alcohol, but I was hoping they made exceptions for guests.”
“You and me both,” Noah agreed. “A beer would hit the spot right now.” He chuckled, and suddenly, I felt slightly more comfortable around him. From his relaxed posture, I guessed the feeling was mutual.
“Shall we sit?” I asked him.
“Sounds good,” he said, and we both sat at the same time, in seats across from each other.
A few seconds passed in silence.
“You call yourself the First Prophet,” I started, since it seemed like as good of a place to begin as any. “What exactly does that mean?”
“I was the first of the wolves to receive a dream from our Savior,” he told me, all traces of joking erased from his tone. “After me, many followed, but I will always be the first.”
I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it hadn’t been that.
“Would you care to explain further?” I asked, having no idea how else to respond.
“That’s why we’re here,” he said, and from there, he told me all about the wolves’ dreams and their Savior.
Jacen
“So your Savior is ready to rise, but He’ll only do so once there are no more vampires in the Vale,” I repeated what Noah had told me, wanting to make sure I was getting this right. “And the wolves have a way to infiltrate our boundary, and will be attacking soon.”
Noah’s story was far beyond what I’d ever thought the wolves’ motivation could have been. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how much of it I believed. But I was here to listen and learn—not to judge—so that was what I was trying to do.
Listening was the only way I could build trust between us. And trust was the only way we might work together. Especially because there was no way in Hell that Queen Laila would give up her land without a fight.
“Yes,” Noah answered.
“And despite the recent attack, you want to eliminate as much bloodshed as possible?”
“Yes,” he repeated.
“Why has the Savior chosen now to send you this message?” I asked.
“We don’t know.”
Noah’s gaze was strong. “However, we trust that the Savior has reasons for everything He does.”
“Okay.” I knew better than to push his faith, since these dreams weren’t something I’d experienced first hand. “You said you sneaked your wolves through the boundary with the help of your witch. But you also needed help from someone inside the boundary to do so. Who are you working with?”
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that,” he said. “I hope you understand why.”
“I can,” I said, since it was true. He had every reason to think I would report back to Queen Laila with information about the mole and have the mole killed. “But what if I told you that I have my own vendetta against Queen Laila and the Vale? That I want to work with you—and against her?”
“I would assume you were lying to get me to confess who we’re working with,” he said. “If we’re even working with anyone inside the Vale. Have you considered that our witch might be strong enough to break through the boundary on her own?”
“I have,” I said. “I’ve spoken with our witch about it, and know that’s extremely unlikely. But I’m not as against you as you might think.”
“So you’re open to a compromise?” Noah asked. “I assume you wouldn’t have come here otherwise.”
“What kind of compromise did you have in mind?” I figured it was best to return his question with one of my own. While I wanted to work with him, the less of my hand I gave away, the better.
“Like I said earlier, our goal is not bloodshed,” Noah said. “We simply need the vampires off of our land so our Savior is able to rise.”
“Your Savior also doesn’t want bloodshed?” I asked.
“Our Savior is coming to bring peace to the wolves in the Vale,” he said. “It’s our decision on how to clear the land of the vampires to allow Him to rise, but I’m sure he’ll be pleased if he finds out we did it in a way that resulted in as few deaths as possible.”
It wasn’t a direct answer—clearly Noah didn’t know exactly what this Savior wanted. But Noah was the leader of this rebellion. If he wanted to lessen the number of vampires who died because of it, the better. My vendetta was against Laila, and Laila alone. The other vampires of the Vale were innocent.
The Vampire Trick (Dark World: The Vampire Wish Book 3) Page 11
